Videotaped conversation about VSU athlete's hair going viral

Table Of Content

• Players
• Viral video purportedly shows college baseball coach barring student from playing because of his locs
• News
• Nick Saban calls out Amarius Mims selection, says Mims took himself out of SEC championship game
• Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush make red carpet debut at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
• Woman dead in domestic incident outside of Metro Atlanta supermarket, police say

The law prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locs, twists, and afros. When the player asked why his white teammates were seemingly not held to the same standard, Curry reports the coach interrupted and said, “We’re not talking about other players on the team. “It's not short enough to be on the baseball team,” the coach replies. In the recording, the coach, who is White, tells the player, who is Black, that he can’t play on the team because of the length of his hair.

Players

The video features a phone recording of a conversation between Akridge and a coach discussing a rule of the team that players' hair can't be under a certain length. Akridge tells the coach that he complied with the rule but the coach says he hasn't. He also tells the coach that other players aren't held to the same standard as he is in reference to his hair. "We’re not talking about other players on the team…We’re not going down that route. Why would I go down that route? I don’t care what anyone else says. This is between you and me. I’m the head coach," he replied. The player believed to be at the center of the controversy with the coach over his hair is not listed currently for VSU’s baseball roster for 2023 or 2024, but is listed in official box scores posted by the university to its athletics website. On August 22nd, a former baseball player from Jackson State named Asher Akridge shared a video.

Viral video purportedly shows college baseball coach barring student from playing because of his locs

“The head baseball coach will be required to participate in training focused on interpersonal and multi-generational communication, leadership, and conflict management,” the statement said. “VSU is aware of a viral video and is currently reviewing the situation,” the school replied in the comments. Taylor also reports that Akridge is not currently included in VSU's baseball roster for 2023 or 2024. However, official box scores posted on the university's athletics website do list Akridge.

News

An African American Valdosta State baseball player alleges his head coach barred him from playing due to hair length. A Georgia university coach sparked online rage this week when a Black baseball player recorded him berating him over his hair, vowing the athlete wouldn’t play until he cut his locs. In a TikTok video posted by Asher Akridge, the baseballer can be heard arguing with his head coach over the length of his hair.

The player then attempted to point out discrepancies with the length of other players' hair on the team, but was quickly shutdown by the coach. The coach then proceeded to admit he "failed" to properly communicate the rules to the player. Throughout the video, the presumed coach can be heard purportedly telling the player that he would not play because of his hairstyle. In it the player and his coach talk not just about the appearance of his hair but if other players are following the same rule.

According to Guilliams’ profile on Valdosta State University’s athletics website, he has been coaching for 26 years and has been awarded on numerous occasions. “Energy, discipline, resolve” are his coaching words of inspiration. Comments also flooded Valdosta State University’s Instagram page on a post advertising the school community ahead of the upcoming academic year. Valdosta State has since responded to the video, per a report by Becky Taylor of the Valdosta Daily Times. The Valdosta Daily Times has not independently verified the origin of the video or the individuals in the video. The school also says it’s committed to a fair, respectful non-discriminatory environment.

Black individuals, in particular, have consistently faced biased judgments based on their hair texture and chosen hairstyles. This incident at Valdosta State underscores the pressing need for comprehensive legislation. Something similar to the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act which is adopted by nearly two dozen states is necessary. The recording, which appears to be via a phone's video feature, does not show either individual in the conversation as it seems to have been placed in a hidden location. Neither speaker refers to the other by name during the conversation.

“While the positive result of the drug test (due to his failure to appear) does make Mr. Akridge ineligible to play baseball, it would not have prohibited him from being a member of the team or participating in the practices. At the time of the video, Mr. Akridge shared that he had cut his hair. The picture that he took when the video was posted indicated that his hair was off the ears and neck. Further, when he met with HR on August 23, his hair was off his ears and neck.

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Baseball-Reference, a website that aggregates baseball statistics for college and professional teams, indicates that Akridge participated in just one game for Valdosta State in 2023. A former Jackson State baseball player who transferred to Valdosta State University was forced to cut hair to play for the team. In the video, Akridge and a man who identifies himself as the head coach are in a back and forth discussion about the length of Akridge's hair being the reason why he's not allowed to play. You can't see the player or the coach during the length of the almost three minute video during which Asher is pleading to be able to play. The video, which has a picture of a VSU baseball player’s hair touching his shoulders as its opening image, had more than 30,000 likes and 5,200 comments as of Wednesday morning.

While some of the other team members (both minority and non-minority) did have hair that was on their neck (untapered) and touching their collar, Mr. Akridge’s hair was in regulation at that point. While the decision could have included other reasons, including his belief that Mr. Akridge had quit the team, Coach Guilliams made it almost entirely about the hair length. As a result, the coach stated that the length of his hair was still not short enough to be on the team because he (Coach Guilliams) is the one that ‘sets the rules’ and he is the one who can ‘set whatever rule’ he wants,” the committee found. In a leaked video posted to social media, a baseball coach tells the anonymous Valdosta athlete that he would not play because of “his locs.” In the recording, the student claims his hair is below the required length. Valdosta State University in Georgia concluded an investigation sparked by a viral video posted on Aug. 22 in which a coach can be heard telling a player, Asher Akridge, that his hair was too long to play baseball for the university. Coach Greg Guilliams was eventually allowed to return to his duties after it was deemed that his conduct towards a former player did not constitute racial discrimination or harassment.

FSU alum is LA's favorite meteorologist - Tallahassee Democrat

FSU alum is LA's favorite meteorologist.

Posted: Mon, 06 Jan 2014 08:00:00 GMT [source]

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Valdosta State University confirmed it’s looking into a viral video that allegedly shows its baseball coach telling a former player he couldn’t play because of his hair. A Georgia college’s white baseball manager is under fire after allegedly telling a black player he couldn’t play on the team because his hair was too long and didn’t conform to the rules set by the coach. The committee did not find that one race was adversely impacted more than another or that VSU’s head baseball coach targeted any one athlete when implementing the policy. However, evidence partly proved the policy inconsistency and the change in policy used as a reason for the student not to be on the team. VALDOSTA – Valdosta State University issued a statement Wednesday morning with its findings from the viral baseball incident investigation involving a white university baseball coach and a Black player arguing about the player’s hair. Former Jackson State baseball player Asher Akridge who transferred to Valdosta State was forced to cut his hair, per a video posted to TikTok on the player's account.

“The consensus is that all the baseball players, including Mr. Akridge, were given the same rule and the same policy. While we also found inconsistency in the application of at least one other policy and/or rule, there were reasonable non-discriminatory justifications provided for the disparities,” the committee findings in the report showed. In response to a video posted online on or around Aug. 22, 2023, Valdosta State University (VSU) initiated an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination and harassment against its current head baseball coach. The investigation was conducted over a five-week period by a committee led by VSU's Office of Human Resources.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 🚨 Get trending HBCU news, job postings, viral content, graphics, and more delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. Before joining the Dodgers with the biggest contract in baseball history, Ohtani hit 171 homers in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, including an AL-leading 44 homers last season while winning his second MVP trophy. Ohtani hit a career-high 46 homers in 2021, his first MVP season.